'Social Networks'
[This article was published in the Express Careers section of the Indian Express on 5th May 05.]
Social networks: A key to employee retention
The Indian IT industry is now entering the consolidation phase. A large number of companies have established themselves with the customers, and have proven themselves as reliable, low cost outsourcing destinations. Now they must secure their presence in all segments of the software development cycle - design, development, testing, maintenance and support. For this purpose, every company today seeks to grow and create specialized work force in all these areas. Companies also want to establish quality processes, and increase the percentage of experienced employees.
The biggest hurdle faced by all companies is retention of employees. More than ever, engineers are feeling frustrated by the assembly-line style work done by software companies. They repeatedly change companies, trying to find work that suits them, yet finding themselves bored by the monotony of every task. In this job-hopping, companies end up with employees that do not stay long enough to imbibe the company culture and values, and thus are not suitable for higher-end jobs.
Companies usually encourage employees to work as hard as they can, and promise bonuses as incentives. However, beyond a point, money does not serve as a motivating factor. One big factor that creates boredom in the employees' lifestyle is the lack of any extra activities or hobbies in their day. In order to keep employees happy and productive, they need to have some social activities and interest-based interaction with peers regularly.
A good solution to this is to create cultural activity groups within the company. Sub groups can be formed related to various interests such as music, dance, painting, sports, singing, quizzing, or trekking. These groups then hold shows, exhibitions, and competitions at regular intervals, open to all employees.
Alternatively, company-wide parties, movie screenings, dinners and picnics can be organized. These are informal events where people can interact with each other without the formal organizational structure coming in between. People meet their friends, old acquaintances, and spend the evening discussing things other than their jobs.
These activities create a welcome change from work, and give people something to look forward to. In Pune and Bangalore, for example, the IT companies hold yearly inter-IT company quizzes, cricket and football tournaments. These are keenly fought efforts, and the entire software engineer community follows them with interest.
An important effect of such activities is the social bond it creates between employees who have common interests. It creates friendships between people who may sit in different buildings, different departments, and pairs them together in joint activities. The social network of these employees thus improves, and they look forward to meeting other people within the company. In large companies, this is a real boon because otherwise employees get to interact only with people from their own projects and thus feel constricted.
Another effect is the creation of a sense of belongingness. Employees who play, say, cricket for their company feel a sense of pride in belonging to the team. The people who cheer for their teams feel the same sense of pride when their team fights well.
A third effect is the image of the company itself. A company that routinely produces winners of a quiz competition gains a reputation for being a 'smart' company. A company that organizes seminars and conferences gains a reputation as a leader-type.
Last but not the least, these activities create informal channels for people to talk to their supervisors and management teams. Discussions on project environments, quality of work, etc. can take place with no risk, and defuse potential tension.
All these activities create a kind of bonding between the employee and his company. He knows the people there, he is comfortable working there, and he has someone to turn to when he wants activity partners. These factors are just as important as the work environment and technologies in retaining him in the company.
More importantly, such measures cost very little to the company. They definitely cost much less than repeatedly losing qualified employees and retraining new ones. With time and a sensible approach, companies can ensure they minimize their attrition rates and grow with the least possible problems.
Social networks: A key to employee retention
The Indian IT industry is now entering the consolidation phase. A large number of companies have established themselves with the customers, and have proven themselves as reliable, low cost outsourcing destinations. Now they must secure their presence in all segments of the software development cycle - design, development, testing, maintenance and support. For this purpose, every company today seeks to grow and create specialized work force in all these areas. Companies also want to establish quality processes, and increase the percentage of experienced employees.
The biggest hurdle faced by all companies is retention of employees. More than ever, engineers are feeling frustrated by the assembly-line style work done by software companies. They repeatedly change companies, trying to find work that suits them, yet finding themselves bored by the monotony of every task. In this job-hopping, companies end up with employees that do not stay long enough to imbibe the company culture and values, and thus are not suitable for higher-end jobs.
Companies usually encourage employees to work as hard as they can, and promise bonuses as incentives. However, beyond a point, money does not serve as a motivating factor. One big factor that creates boredom in the employees' lifestyle is the lack of any extra activities or hobbies in their day. In order to keep employees happy and productive, they need to have some social activities and interest-based interaction with peers regularly.
A good solution to this is to create cultural activity groups within the company. Sub groups can be formed related to various interests such as music, dance, painting, sports, singing, quizzing, or trekking. These groups then hold shows, exhibitions, and competitions at regular intervals, open to all employees.
Alternatively, company-wide parties, movie screenings, dinners and picnics can be organized. These are informal events where people can interact with each other without the formal organizational structure coming in between. People meet their friends, old acquaintances, and spend the evening discussing things other than their jobs.
These activities create a welcome change from work, and give people something to look forward to. In Pune and Bangalore, for example, the IT companies hold yearly inter-IT company quizzes, cricket and football tournaments. These are keenly fought efforts, and the entire software engineer community follows them with interest.
An important effect of such activities is the social bond it creates between employees who have common interests. It creates friendships between people who may sit in different buildings, different departments, and pairs them together in joint activities. The social network of these employees thus improves, and they look forward to meeting other people within the company. In large companies, this is a real boon because otherwise employees get to interact only with people from their own projects and thus feel constricted.
Another effect is the creation of a sense of belongingness. Employees who play, say, cricket for their company feel a sense of pride in belonging to the team. The people who cheer for their teams feel the same sense of pride when their team fights well.
A third effect is the image of the company itself. A company that routinely produces winners of a quiz competition gains a reputation for being a 'smart' company. A company that organizes seminars and conferences gains a reputation as a leader-type.
Last but not the least, these activities create informal channels for people to talk to their supervisors and management teams. Discussions on project environments, quality of work, etc. can take place with no risk, and defuse potential tension.
All these activities create a kind of bonding between the employee and his company. He knows the people there, he is comfortable working there, and he has someone to turn to when he wants activity partners. These factors are just as important as the work environment and technologies in retaining him in the company.
More importantly, such measures cost very little to the company. They definitely cost much less than repeatedly losing qualified employees and retraining new ones. With time and a sensible approach, companies can ensure they minimize their attrition rates and grow with the least possible problems.
posted by Sudarshan | 1:19 AM
1 Comments:
Consider the worst case of these social networks: lots of social activities and a complete lack of engaging, challenging, satisfying work. The consequence, unfortunately, is the same as with having no social activities in the first place: employee turnover.
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